Artistry among the Natítayt
(The People) sought to express
ingenuity and originality. Artistic
designs and motifs found in
beadwork, clothing, tools, religious
objects, and everyday items
were often derived from nature.
Tribal and family emblems were
common. An individual dream
sometimes provided inspiration,
meaning, and color choices for
personal items.

"As a people, we have lived in this homeland
from time immemorial. This land has formed how
we as Indian people see and interpret and express
ourselves in the work of our hands. Regardless
of the medium - whether fine art, traditional
art, or performance art. The work reflects a
living culture, not a culture frozen in the past,
but one that is being shaped by many forces.
Everything we do is rooted in the sense of place,
and our creativity reflects the land.&quot

Bill Quaempts, current Board
of Trustees member

Our encounters with the greater world continue
to unfold. Artistic expression continues to serve
as a means of preserving individual and group
identity in a changing world. At each given moment
in time we have the ability to transform the
foreign into the familiar and make it our own.